my academic dropbox

Wk8 Reading (Phase 4)

2006-02-19T23:48:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry, but I am getting really tired of the infinite rehashing of the system creation cycle. I get that there has been a two-decade precedent of poor planning and endless prototyping, but for god sake this new model has been talked to death!!!

This article lays out the production phase as: "Prepping, Building and Testing" ...good.

The days of $20,000 Web sites should be long over! Give $5,000 to the marketing heads, $5,000 to the project manager, and $5000 to the coders. If you actually listen to the client ahead of time, figure out your targets, plan for your feasibility, and describe your end goals then $15,000 is WAY more than necessary.

However, I did appreciate that the article assumed that nearly everything will go wrong... since this is the prevailing wisdom in tech production. BUT it drives me nuts that among this they assume that content will not be ready. I realize the CEO idiots still want a Web site when there isn't a reason yet, but for god's sake at least finish your branding (if not the content) before you put your face out there.

Now after all of my frustrated fervor I do want to say that the article was a decent check list for the aggravating process of producing a Web site.

java magic: font thing

2006-02-14T21:08:00.000-08:00

Probably one of the coolest java applets I've ever seen.

It lets you evolve a potential alien font.

http://alphabet.tmema.org/

Here you go. Sorry I didn't put it up last week.

Wk5 reading (Hierarchy)

2006-01-30T17:44:00.000-08:00

Halverson, Margo. Hierarchy And Contrast: The Basis of Good Design. Available online at: http://www.presentation-pointers.com/printarticle.asp?articleid=399

The theme this week is a toss up between solid basic design points and broken links. I'll focus on the former.

It seems like hierarchy and simplicity are becoming so paramount to me through this, and other, communication programs that I can't avoid thinking about it in every communication decision that I make. While writing papers looking at the text as the narrative form of a bullet list (with outline hierarchy) is becoming unavoidably necessary. Even the academics want it delivered simple, so the folks outside the ivory tower... [insert witty euphemism for 'even more so.']

Mind numbing power point presentations are part of our lives, but this program should force us to no longer inflict this torture on our co-workers, colleagues, and class-mates.

Wodtke, Christina. 2002. Blueprints for the Web: Organization for the Masses. Available online at: http://www.informit.com/articles/printerfriendly.asp?p=30289&rl=1

Pressing the point further, the article on data organization (the link was magically repaired) really rung true regarding my work with databases and information architecture. But, it was meant as an interface and content interaction issue. It's also fairly obvious to people who work in the 'backend industry' that the final face of the website has little or nothing todo with the way things are truly laid out. Users think differently than engineers. Engineers are stubborn, users are fickle. Wow a quote.

EXTRA READING QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "...blind guides who wouldn’t know aesthetic appeal if it stripped bare and gave them a table dance."

Wk4 reading (Norman)

2006-01-22T17:57:00.000-08:00

Norman, Don. The Psychology of Everyday Things: Affordance, Convention and Design. Available online at: http://jnd.org/dn.mss/affordance_conv.html; Affordances and Design. Available online at: http://jnd.org/dn.mss/affordances_and.html.

Ok so the key to this article was the word affordance. And, of course we retain the concept of perception (the running theme so far.) What is the subtlety to the word affordance in the digital interface design sense? ... perception -plus- functionality -plus- feedback (just for good measure.)

Oh yeah, and conform to convention... and create some consistancy.

Wk4 reading (Skaalid)

2006-01-21T17:17:00.000-08:00

Skaalid, Bonnie. Gestalt Principles of Perception. Available online at: http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/skaalid/theory/gestalt/gestalt.htm; Human-Computer Interface Design. Available online at: http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/skaalid/theory/interface.htm.

Gestalt :: How glad am I to see some more philosophy come out in our classes!
Much of this discussion of Gestalt focuses on lessons you might find in a 2D art class. This is the first thing all art students go through, from what I hear. These basic concepts of perception shape our visual understanding, and I suppose metaphorically the rest of our perception.

HCI :: This article might be well suited as a checklist. However, a checklist is used afterward... so perhaps a better term might be guideline. IO (industrial organizational) Psychology is basicly the radical notion that people aren't mind readers, or rather wireless binary readers.

Here is a link to my Four Elements of Web Design page I wrote in high school. I think it's still pretty true.

Wk3 reading (Theory of Design)

2006-01-17T22:47:00.000-08:00

Shedroff, Nathan. Information Interaction Design: A Unified Field Theory of Design. Available online at: http://www.nathan.com/thoughts/unified/index.html

This article was very similar to two books that I read for a "New Media: Digital" class I took at Linfield; Don't Make Me Think, and The Design of Everyday Things. The big lesson is paying attention to interaction, and even recognising the concept. Additionally, I would like to praise the layout of the article with regard to online interfaces. There was a stages guide above, next-previous-home links and the level to which it was broken down.

Never before this article and T.D.O.E.T. have I read about the concept of feedback. I think it is a vital concept within technology interaction, so I'm just happy to see it pop-up again.

The main topic of the article, IMO, was the continuum of data-information-knowledge-wisdom. This runs parallel to the interaction concept, in that the true processes of using the technology are not blatantly apparent.

Relevant sites

2006-01-10T21:00:00.000-08:00

After viewing others’ ideas about web projects, I found these relevant sites…

My version of the digital version of our, or anther, class is with education materials rather than individual profiles. I found a source of some free online courses that include multimedia presentation of material like something we might create: http://www.free-ed.net/free-ed/FreeEdMain01.asp. Of course, Kathy’s online version of this class is an example of organizational structure and design elements. Also, M.I.T.’s project to put their courses online would be a useful resource: http://ocw.mit.edu.

There was also discussion of a digital representation of a geographical community. Such a site might look like this: http://www.caithness.org. This site offers an example of the elements that need to be included in this type of site.

Finally, I took another approach to the community site by suggesting using a topical focus. Such a site might look like this: http://www.ishmael.com/welcome.cfm. This site is a community based around a book, but the example could be translated into various forms.

Project Responce

2006-01-10T19:54:00.000-08:00

I think the class website seems like a great idea. But I would choose to create a digital artifact of a course rather than profile the specific members. Perhaps it would be better to this on another class, rather than such a reflexive silly thing.
I also noticed a theme of using totally non digital type projects, focusing on things that are less likely to be online already and involving people who would be unlikely to already have an online presence. This may offer a nice, fresh opportunity and be able to be “stand alone.” Additionally, many were focused on outdoor activities. There may be a whole host of other idea relating to thing that wouldn’t be so cold to collect. =)
I would like to alter the community type site to focus on one main topic. Rather than enabling an already existent geographical community, it might be more fun to facilitate a spread-out community through online communication.

Experience, Goals and Roles

2006-01-10T18:40:00.000-08:00

Past Experience :: Within one team in the past there has been a struggle over who creates the content, and what titles various members carried. As webmaster it can be more important to know what you are truly NOT going to work on rather than what you ARE.
Within another team a problem again arose from roles. Tasks of each team member were again not clearly defined. When problems arose each person thought someone else was responsible for solving it.
A third issue from the past was the importance of the end result. Sometimes regardless of planning and elegance a simple fix is necessary. JUST GET IT DONE seems to become critical at times, even if it’s a patch. Additionally, since the web world is 24 hour, the webmaster position is in essence an on-call position.

Rethinking Goals :: There is an emphasis, within goals, on the roles played of executives and PR folks, perhaps due to peoples’ past experience or perhaps due to influences of the reading. Seeing where you fit is vital in effective team production, online of off.
The obvious technical goals are also listed. The fact that many people listed flash makes me think this would be worth my energy too, since it will be a concentration for those around me.
-- Learn about the current and future applications of RSS and pod-casting.
-- See the role of all members of the online production team.
-- Improve objective prioritization (tech and non-tech) skills.

My Roles and Avoidances :: I would enjoy the role of hands-dirty-code-guy, but that may not allow me to expand perspectives. Perhaps I can just assist in this area.
I would enjoy working with over all architecture. I have experience in this area, but trying to think from purely this perspective could be rewarding.
Working in content creation and design would be similar to the above experience.

Responce and goals

2006-01-10T17:31:00.000-08:00

Ah-Ha Moments! [One] The first light bulb was illuminated by the prototyping text. I wrote the phrase "perspective accuracy," which seemed insightful to me. By these words I'm referring to: what the prototype “means” to different members on the design team. When a prototype is created not only does everyone need to have input, but it has to evoke an accurate portrayal of the design intentions within various perspectives. [Two] The second flash comes from the same article. I came away with a distinction between three concepts… scenario, story and theme. A scenario is a specific task carried out upon the system; a story is an anecdotal understanding of an interaction with the system; and, a theme is a convergence of stories.
The generation of themes, within stories, (kinda) become scenarios. Whether or not those are intended or are truly part of the system, a theme of use is a very valuable tool. This helps to understand the way in which users perceive the functionality of the a system.

Three personal goals...
-- Gain knowledge of the tech. side of RSS and pod-casting.
-- Better understand the role of the webmaster in the business team
-- Improve my overall perspective regarding tech meets non-tech objectives.

Wk1 reading (Publishing Team)

2006-01-10T17:30:00.001-08:00

McGovern, Gerry & Norton, Rob. Year. The Publishing Team: Chapter 11 - Content Critical: Gaining Competitive Advantage Through High-Quality Web Content.

Well I feel stupid. While I read I started to create a heirarchy map of the different roles, only to find there was one already created at the bottom of the document. I think that may be the most useful nugget of information.
As a "webmaster" (and yes I hate the word) it is eternally frustrating to have so many tasks that are very multi-disciplinary. But, that's what attracted me to the work... so I shouldn't complain. What I can complain about is that sometimes your colleagues don't understand this. Not only does the copy have to be right, but the database structure has to be correct, the server environment has to been running correctly, the code has to be perfect, the generated HTML has to be formatted correctly (including the CSS) and finally it has to look good graphically… oh yeah and load quickly.
It’s helpful to see such a clear definition of roles, it will help to focus given tasks and may even warrant a ‘check list.’ It's just nice to know that somebody knows us "webmasters" are overworked.

Wk1 reading (Design Practice)

2006-01-10T17:30:00.000-08:00

Erickson, Thomas. 1995. Notes on Design Practice: Stories and Prototypes as Catalysts for Communication. Available online at http://www.pliant.org/personal/Tom_Erickson/Stories.html.

This article puts a huge emphasis on the communicative process involved with production. We see the emergence of the roles, communication artifacts and the processes (or models) of communication. The concepts above are then within a stage model.

I initially wanted to argue against the author’s point about stories. A story is a scenario, but perhaps a scenario isn’t a story. The goal of Use Case description is to capture all possible scenarios. I get the idea of “real-world” thinking; anecdotes are useful, but I did not see the grand distinction. But it’s clear now the real strength of this story collection concept is the development of themes. By evaluating similar sentiments a system can really be improved. Also, stories are useful in the brainstorming and design communicative process.
Another important point is that the themes from above become macro-scenarios. Then we can move into the next point-- motivations and feelings. These are the main concepts of the first stage of production.

The next stage is focused on prototypes. Artifacts which represent the project and help shape it can exist at many levels. But, the most valuable discussion here is the perception of prototypes. The engineer knows what a prototype “means” in a very different way than the PR person, the financial director, etc. In this way various prototypes may serve different uses and must be clarified to be qualified. In a highly successful communication scenario a prototype would fulfill perspective accuracy for all viewers.
The distinction between vision and working prototypes seems very useful. The first teases the brain with the general concept, and the second allows more specific critique. But the notion that all members of the team should be able to alter the prototypes may be the most pivotal mistake of real-world examples.

The article was full of great concepts, but was somewhat disorganized. There was not a single topical narrative flow. The article would have benefited from a web type layout. Ha ironic! Perhaps the journal publication was presented differently.

New class

2005-12-31T19:55:00.000-08:00

The new class has begun.

Post after this point deal with... 585 Message design & content creation (Spring '06).

Previous posts dealt wth... 546 Evolution and trends in digital media technologies (Fall '05.)

new word

2005-12-04T20:06:00.000-08:00

I think I just created a new word/phrase... "secular oecumancy."

Feel free to borrow with attibution.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Ecumenical
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_suffixes

Whatcha think?

theNetwork

2005-11-16T10:11:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention, I found a neato webpage that allows you to visualize the network of links (a la google.com) coming from a site. And yes, it's stretchy and moves in that oh-so-satisfying java way. Also, try double clicking to expand the node out farther. I used the course blog page to give you an idea.
http://www.touchgraph.com/TGGoogleBrowser.html

Second, I found a gem while looking up the del.isio.us link for the above site. Ha!
It's a blog ( link) discussing google Earth's ability to geo-tag content. Then while you move around in the Google Earth application you can see content based upon it's tagged location. Flikr was what I check out, so you can see where photo were taken and it kind of serves as a close up (with personalization.) Let me try not to go into the possibilities... but imagine browsing a network of content based on geotagging. It's a whole other potential internet. A million photos of a landmark... a hundred blog entries about a restraunt.
Plus, you can find places where nothing digital has happened and then escape to them.

Wk7 Extra Reading (eSociety)

2005-11-14T21:55:00.000-08:00

Blakemore, M. and Dutton, R. "e-Government, e-Society and Jordan: Strategy, theory, practice, and assessment." Available online at: http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue8_11/blakemore/index.html.

Here is a PDF of this blogpost: http://kegill.typepad.com/com546/files/Josh_Lind_eSociety.pdf

This blog post is to summarize the reading for use in class discussion.
To 'get' this article just consider the meaning of this statement: "promoting universal service access rights to the e-Society." Maintain the mantra: "means, but not an end."

Document Outline

Introduced ideas ::
1. Localized strategy
2. Developed vs. developing
3. The debriefing process
4. East vs. West
5. Culture

Society ::
- Technology and change
- Post-industrial or knowledge society
- Information and e-Government
- Moving money, moving the economy, digitized

Technology ::
- Developing enabled, developed ahead.
- Classic gains
--- G > C
--- G > G
--- G > B
--- Digital utopia

Research ::
- Strategies, complex (non-linear) process
- Timelines
- Political newness
- Political crap
- Necessity and digital colonialism
- who is benfited question again

Re-org ::
- International agenda
- More from government, more from citizens?
- Individual habits

Democracy ::
- Local identity, centralization
- Online rights
- Global identity
- Knowledge access and reality

The Great Devide ::
- Western teleology
- Intellectual property, digital herdle
- Reinvention
- Global reputation
--- Local divides
- Literacy
- Literacy+Technology=Sucess?
- Cultural gender bias, and ability, translates to biases empowerment
--- Gendered needs
- Taboo content
--- (the one thing all cultures agree about the net: no child porn)

Disintermediation (article buzz word) ::
--- (ditigally eliminate the 'middle-man')
- No stores
- No civil servants
- Technology vs. process, ability vs. need
- Easy digital presence
--- Minority (& culturally slighted) empowerment
--- Watch dogs
--- Educational access
- Cultural bias in such easy existing content

Communuity ::
- Sociological implications
- Stability
- Community buzz
- Pre-existing communities and content
- Expectations

Information rights ::
- Access
- Quality analysis & measurement (too new)
- Transparency
- Obligation (gov)
- Security
- Trust of governemental technology
- Global trend analysis
- Metrics to politicians

Overall ::
- Complex sociology of tech in complex global theatre
- Effective utilization
- Local vs. national
- Ethnographic use

Most comprehensive quote: "... if e-democracy is to develop into an integral part of representative democracy, mechanisms for promoting public deliberation, embedding it within the constitutional process and demonstrating real links between public input and policy outcomes need to be devised. Public expectations need to be managed: e-democracy should not be seen as a recipe for direct democracy or technopopulism."

Wk7 Extra Reading (Netizens)

2005-11-13T21:49:00.000-08:00

Hauben, M. "The Net and the Future of Politics: The ascendancy of the Commons" In Netizens: An Anthology. Available online at: http://www.columbia.edu/~rh120/ch106.x14.

What are your experiences with electronic government or eDemocracy; how would you rate them? Is this evolution good or bad, and why?

This article falls fully into the category of standard Internet democracy idealist visionary. It calls out all the classic possibilities (and I do appreciate the Mill, even if it was dad.) In the utilitarian tradition there is a belief that with the right tools we can quantify and categorize our way to societal perfection. If we are to achieve that science fiction socialist vision that we see so often in fiction, then I suppose the democracy of the Internet is an important step.

I must share a Bjork lyric with you: "I thought I could organize freedom. How Scandinavian of me." (from Hunter, off Homogenic)

My e-government experience... It has consisted of researching a bit before I vote and of course the ever popular modern concerned citizen trend of emailing your congressman. I have a good friend who has been involved in state level politics for a while. He worked for a politician signing responses to letters. These were physical letters. We know how much easier it is to do this electronically... in fact automatic. Just have the computer wait a week and it might even look like they read it. Anyhow, I assume that at most my email amounted to a TALLY on some list. So mark me down for ending the Iraq conflict. I'll accept my one tally mark... on one list... in front of one congressman... representing one state... in the minority. eDemocracy couldn't be healthier.

Wk7 Reading (1968)

2005-11-13T21:45:00.000-08:00

Hardin, G. "The Tragedy of the Commons." Science Magazine (1968). Available online at: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/162/3859/1243.

How does the theory of the commons relate to the Internet, community, or politics?

First of all, a brilliant classification: "no technical solution problems."
Second, channel Whitehead in the definition of 'tragedy': “The essence of dramatic tragedy is not unhappiness. It resides in the solemnity of the remorseless working of things.”

Key sentence: "Ruin is the destination toward which all men rush, each pursuing his own best interest in a society that believes in the freedom of the commons. Freedom in a commons brings ruin to all."

This article has a pessimistic ring, but in all honesty when it comes to mathematics you can't share a finite resource with infinite growth. This article implies that we are on a precipise, which seems to be a running theme of all time. I find it incresingly difficult to figure out which sky is actually falling.

"the cost of the waste... discharge[d] into the commons is less than the cost of purifying."

Upon the issue of over population and the contious choice to reduce the problem, here are some brilliant Darwin words. Even if the instinct to breed less increased among the conscious, "nature would have taken her revenge, and the variety Homo contracipiens [who get it] would become extinct and would be replaced by the variety Homo progenitivus [those who don't].”

And lastly, maintaining the status quo is an action, it is a decision. When this is realized, one can way it's appeal to that of an alternative and bam... pragmatist change.

stealing (and branding) content

2005-11-12T22:13:00.000-08:00

The concept of stealing content, rebranding it and making money from the advertisements was briefly mentioned in class the other day. Here is someone who made a little flash video showing his hatered for such things... *cough* eBaum *cough*

Video download page at newgrounds.com

the google baby

2005-11-08T14:48:00.000-08:00

So a Swedish PhD in search engine marketing has named his son Oliver Google Kai.

Here is the child you've heard so much buzz about.

http://www.google-kai.com

Wk5 Reading (Mobile Media)

2005-11-07T17:56:00.000-08:00

Rheingold, H. Ecologizing Mobile Media. Available online at: http://www.thefeaturearchives.com/101022.html

I greatly appreciate the attempt to create a list of factors by which to judge and discren the changes in mobile media. However, this list is all over the map. The points are not in a clear breakdown.
The emphasis on bias in interesting. Discussing each media in terms of it's bias to the reciever or sender, i.e. unspoken effects, is an interesting take. Again, we see shades of medium is the message thinking here.
My favorite point is this: "5. Technological change is not additive; it is ecological. A new technology does not merely add something; it changes everything." I misread it to say 'addictive.' Which I think works just as well. The effect of a new medium is not purely the 'network effects' that happen between users and technologies, but is a large social change which ties into other social factors in an ecological sense.
My favorite phrase is: "agoraphobic behavior patterns."

file sharing is illegal?

2005-11-06T15:15:00.000-08:00

Sharing movie and audio online is pretty common place, especially in the United State, where the Internet got it's start. Yet, we know that Asian countries are th worst for creation of pirated material and redistribution. Apparently, authorities are going to be more keen in those geographic areas, because there has finally been an arrest for the issue of online filesharing. A may was jailed for three months for uploading three movies for BitTorrent download. At least they aren't jailing the dowloaders... yet.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/11/07/asia/web.1107bit.php

the sovietization of the U.S.

2005-11-02T11:48:00.000-08:00

I heard a really interesting concept on the TWiT podcast episode 27...
...the sovietization of the U.S.

Because my generation has grown up under a very complicated legal stucture, in the realm of digital rights management, we have been breaking the law and caring less and less. The government, RIAA, music industry, Hollywood and various others have made claims and decrees which had little no to impact on actual behavior. Some people (me) basically break the law every single day, whether it's with cracked software and games or downloaded music and videos. We have grown up thinking that it's normal to do illegal things. In order to have what we want, we have to break the law. It's easy, no one cares, and the proverbial back is turned.
I enjoy the "sovietization" metaphor.
The market does not accurately reflect technology or the habits. If it's not working the market needs to change.

Here's the link: www.thisweekintech.com

2005-11-01T18:54:00.000-08:00

The guy from tech tv is in class tonight. (PS: this is a text message.)

behind the silicon curtain

2005-10-31T19:17:00.000-08:00

In case you want to know what's going on behind the scences in the workshop of our latest information mesiah...

video.google.com - A Factory Tour

Watch out it's about 5 and a half hours long.

Wk5 Reading (Friedman)

2005-10-30T19:13:00.000-08:00

Friedman, T. Chapter 2: "Ten forces that flattened the world." Section 7: "Supply chaining." The World is Flat: A brief history of the twenty-first century." In The World is Flat.

Key points from the chapters...
:: Resourcefulness versus opportunity
When faced with difficult situations a business will innovate and teach the industry something. Also; a business without scarcity, in a partial monopoly, or in a comfortable market placement does not have motivation to change or innovate. I think this principle is pretty unilateral: generations with hardship or turmoil will make change; those in history with "new money" are much more likely to make change. Friedman's example delt with distribution of merchandise and dealing with wholesalers by the Wal-Mart corporation.
:: Small efficiencies via technology
Using enhanced communication, a business is able to identify more instances when it could be more efficient or cut costs. Communication allows various "disciplines" within a business or industry to meet minds and find opportunity. However, it takes a certain degree of faith in this concept in order to leap the set-up costs, monetary or operational.
:: Smart products and meta data
In the supply chain merchandise can be fitted with a microchip. Each product (or at least each palette) can then become an "object" (as in object-oriented programming) within a meta data system. This way the merchandise can "know" facts (properties) about itself then respond to and inform the organizational system (behaviors.) Smart products offer shipping, stocking, timeline, and other benefits.

What are the implications for the US economy and position in the world?
:: Adoption is a necessity
Resistance is futile. A place in the business world is solidified by adoption and innovation. This becomes more profoundly true the more technology grows. As a result, corporate success is less through national economic stability and more individualized to the organization. This phenomenon has a trickle down effect; personal success and job security is less about old archetypes of a career and more about individual skill improvement and personal marketability. Hence, this class.
:: Catch-22, Hegemony, Tiny gains
"Demand models," anticipation techniques and trend analysis makes meta data key in highly competitive markets. In order to maintain a position of knowledge and business leadership, the United States must spend more in order to manage and maintain the techniques of leadership that it has created.

Points of contention...
:: The cost of supply-chaining may make it difficult to operate in depressed economies.
:: It's tools may empower the manufacturers (as they adopt them) to leverage back against Wal-Mart.
:: Just like Wal-Mart couldn't foresee the backlash from globalization, impersonalization and efficiency cost cuts, Friedman didn't foresee that we would backlash his "flat" metaphor quite so viscously.

google goobles data, tummy ache emminent

2005-10-25T22:37:00.000-07:00

As discussed in class, google makes some of the their revenue selling their search capability in quasi-hardware form, allowing organizations to access their own content easier.
http://www.google.com/enterprise
But, for the down-scale user this is more than enough power. Google may soon be answering with their unannouced online database service.
arstechnica.com article
This will put the data in googles hands and make it searchable online. The google mantra of the two idealistic students has always been to give the world increased access to all of human knowledge. So, apparently the next step is to just mange that data themselves.
http://base.google.com (currently forbidden)
They subdoman services are popping up so fast nothing is really suprising anymore. How about coffee.google.com or psychicadvice.google.com? Why not?

too good to pass up

2005-10-25T16:08:00.000-07:00

So, in case you need some digital media work done you can always contract with this guy. Just don't say his name to yourself a few times, or you might catch on to his secrets.

http://www.bobloblaw.com

What does he sell... nothin really.

Wk4 Reading (Mediamorphosis)

2005-10-24T18:10:00.000-07:00

Fidler, R. "Technologies of the Third Mediamorphosis."

This text is a condensed history of mass and personal communication. The author touches on the technology, occationally going a little far with specific details, but the pace makes it a nice easy read through a complex history.

Discuss the effects of applying computing power to communication...
The article really focuses on the 'supervening social necessities' which have brought about a metamorphosis in comminication use without our society.
I'm a little uncertain what "computing power" means in this question, but I'll go with the power to store and sort data as well as individualize it's diplay. After all the marvel of the computer is that it is a multi-functional device. So... when applied to communication, in the context of 'mediamorphosis,' with special regard to S.S.N., and a third wave of technology, computer power will alter communication by....
...allowing better reporting of news and entertainment (upload capibility) Ponies vs. telegraph signals vs. telphony vs. facimine transmission vs. wireless data upload (text, image, audio or video.)
...allowing better viewing of news and entertainment (download capability) Singe page journal vs. broadsheet vs. telegram vs. evening radio news vs. evening TV news vs. 24 hour cable news vs. searchable Web news allowing mutliple formats (mentioned above.)
...allowing personalized interaction of news and E! (user capability) Whatever the stateman decreed vs. business trade news vs. 'yellow' stories vs. vaudville vs. radio lectures and music vs. several channels vs. targetted channels vs. whatever page you view, whatever color you choose, whatever story you read, whatever format you download, whatever quality to select (or can afford.)
Those seem to me the major computer changes to communication: Upload, Download, and Customization.

most effective commercial ever?

2005-10-24T15:29:00.000-07:00

Here is the website devoted to the commercial shown in Ohio the week before the election. Larry (our marketing lecturer, in case you weren't there) called it the most effective political ad he has ever seen, so I figured it was worth a look.

http://www.ashleysstory.com/

He's right, if an advertisement could get that idiot elected then it is worth watching. Also, you may notice the idea here is to make him look compasionate and in effect not a cold evil human. He does owe her a hug, he did ignore "chatter" about the incedent, oh wait... and all terrist intellence up until that point during his presidency, that's right.

Bob Woodward, Bush at War

Wk4 Extra Reading (1945)

2005-10-23T19:12:00.000-07:00

Bush, V. "As We May Think." The Atlantic Monthly. July, 1945. Available online at: http://www.w3.org/history/1945/vbush/vbush.shtml
Also posted at the com546 course blog

There are a few forces at work here.
First, he has a pragmatist cry similar to that of Postman. Technology often continues to advance without addressing the reasons for which it continues. Simply, science is intended to test a hypothesis, experiment, form a theory and so on, but to better use this process we must ask what problems we wish to investigate and solve. Hence, pragmaticism [intentionally ugly, Peirce.]
Second, the instrument of the mind needs to be refined and calibrated like that of any other machine we wish to get the best use of. If we continue to advance knowledge indiscriminately (which seems to be our prerogative) then we need to simultaneously advance the mind to manage, balance, critique and use such sprawling knowledge.
To use their vernacular, I will never tire of the last century's citizens professing the wonders that were to follow their life time.
It's amazing that without understanding the concept of digital and silicon technology he was able to predict loosely the mp3 player and digital camera. He frames it all as inevitability. The bits versus atoms phrase comes to mind, but he's pretty close. However, a hard drive is a spinning digital version of the scanned microfilm he discusses.
He continually implies the point that Morse took advantage of in the telegraph; if people learned a different form of verbal communication or a different means of writing, the computer could interface with it much simpler. The computer today must work much harder to run a speech recognition algorithm or OCR function simply because it is more convenient for us. However, again we must discuss our true motives and implications on the culture before we move forward.
In a similar vein, he discusses the difference between the machine and its operator. The computer allows a person to forego the mathematics and focus on the intuitively reasoned applications, consequences, and purpose of a task or information. That's still the case currently; so lets do so! In his time he could not imagine that role being mechanized, I argue we have imagined a machine taking on some of those tasks today.
When it comes to personal computing, I'm still awaiting some of his prescribed innovations. We don't see such useful software and hardware partially because we lack the clarity to simply make things that are useful. (Apple is catching on though.) I especially like his conception of a file structure which mimics that of the human brain; here is a great way to make technology easier.
The article makes me think that sci-fi writers must really have to hit the books so that their predictions are that much better, and I think this article must has passed by the eyes of some familiar authors. But, one nagging thing still lingers... he couldn't quite get past gender roles. That a man might do the typing and a woman the dictation, would have made the article truly controversial.
Notable quotes:
"Had a Pharaoh been given detailed and explicit designs of an automobile, and had he understood them completely, it would have taxed the resources of his kingdom to have fashioned the thousands of parts for a single car, and that car would have broken down on the first trip to Giza."
"The modern great library is not generally consulted; it is nibbled by a few."

so Kathy...

2005-10-23T16:51:00.000-07:00

As I get the news and scour the net, I inevitably run across things that I'm sure will end up in class or at least blogged about this week. So, I figured why not post about those things, since they're on my mind. And what better name for such blog posts than "so kathy..." Just checking to see if you're reading these blogs.

It appears that homeland security has once again reared its ugly head; the internet has allowed a little too much freedom for the American government to stand. The FCC has asked that instiutions and other organizations that facilitate mass internet connections to make it easier for federal agents to listen in. Since the telephone is rapidly becoming less necessary (ask any business person) and online voice communication is gaining popularity (ask any college student), federal snoopers are attempting to realign themselves to this new landscape of communication technology. PS: These forced changes would have to be carried out by the institutions at their own expense, costing millions of dollars.

There are rumblings that the UN, European Union and various other nations that are patrioticly taboo are looking to speard control of the internet globally. Currently, the ICANN organization in California keeps tabs on addresses and such in order to organize and keep the World Wide Web untangled. Many sources say that the United States is the best country to monitor a free and open medium, but for a world that seeks to have better access to the internet for econimic and other reasons international regulation is the perogative. The United Nations Working Group on Internet Governance will be meeting next month in Tunis.

my trend analysis proposal

2005-10-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

Here is the title page...

Proposal of trend analysis study

The dissemination of intellectual property over the internet:
The manifestation of web standards
with regard to Web communities and developer input

* * *

Table of Contents
Study Topic
Research Approach
Study Goals
Significance
Source consideration

Here is the link... Proposal in PDF format

how novel

2005-10-21T02:12:00.000-07:00

In looking to annotate my bibliography I was studying the amazon.com information about a book. I noticed they have added a few features to their meta data about each book. There is as matrix of words scaled in size by how often they appear in the book. Also, various scores for readibility versus education, words per sentence, word complexity, and lastly some counted information about the book. Some information must have long been available, but now it's viewable. This must also mean that the text version is in their database and is being computed by some algarythm. It's not available for all books, but it's certainly worth a look.

Amazon.com link to Media Effects: Advances in Theory and Research

Wk3 Reading (...to Death)

2005-10-17T23:30:00.000-07:00

Postman, N. "Informing Ourselves to Death." 1990.

It seems that any conversation I have about my computer science training or potential subsequent career, always ends up in a discussion about the larger question of computer presence in people's daily lives. I bark about the advantages, people thank the device for email and then and then complain that there is little else it's good for. The time waster vs. time saver comment comes to mind. I especially appreciate the 'ancient metaphors' this essay has employed. I hope that makes sense.
I love the fact that Postman begins with his mention of deceit on the part of the expert. This moral question has been kicking around for several years, but I've only discussed it with close friends and in the odd philosophy class (where it didn't go over well.)
The word postmodern keeps screaming in my head. Anyone else? Total subjectivity... or at least to the point of temporary consistency.
I recall the moment in computer science 101 when we discussed the term information. Perhaps it came in communication 101 as well. The professor asked the class what the word meant, we all gave definitions regarding the recording of something meaningful. Then without a blink the pedagogue told us that information and data was in fact just anything that happened to be input or output. Any bytes that were stored, sent or streamed were information.
I am so thankful that this type of sentiment is coming through the pipelines. Some times it's the computer novices just throwing their hands up and cursing the whole thing, but this is a really informed position with a lot of perspective offered. A good take on the conundrum.

Wk3 Reading (Tele to Net)

2005-10-17T17:08:00.000-07:00

Winston, B. "Chapter 2: Before the Speaking Telephone." and "Chapter 3: The Capture of Sound." Media Technology and Society.

I love the reoccuring references to the "lovers' telegraph." I vividly recall using the device he is talking about (which probably grew my brain in the direction of mass communication and technology.)
It's amaizing what kind of technological advances had to be made in order to facilitate the telephone from the telegraph. Reading the chapter explaining the invention process of the telegraph puts you in thouch with the understanding of the day. To then move into the telephone took a great deal of 'scientific competence' as Winston puts it.
It's also interesting to see the portions of the technology being discovered here that are second nature to our understanding of devices and general physics. I love the description of magnetic fields on page 32 that sound like a description of a magic spell.
The potential for the device was palpable, a frustrating race within the small community who knew it was there and were'nt afraid to try.
It's funny how rediculous some of these sound inventions are. But, without foresight you're doomed to look stupid from the future. The reliance on water is my favorite.
As for the carious factors that dictates adoption of an innovation, all I have to say is that the best does not always win. The chaotic and darwinian process that reveals business application and true social desire will drive a new technology's sucess.
Oh, wait... I forgot to use this weeks buzz word; supervening social necessity. So, their are larger factors at work which exist in the culture and state of a society which also effect the adoption of a given technology.
In the case of the telephone and gramaphone, the application of this technology was different than that of the intensions of the innovators. The telephone was a household sucess as well as a business device and recorded sound was used for entertainment more than for business.

trend topic proposal

2005-10-14T14:46:00.000-07:00

My research topic is web norms and formats stemming from the coding end. I will focus on the ways in which these trends manifest. This technology also affects content trends in: ability, expectation and delivery. I plan to study specifically, the role that developers and web communities influence these norms among the web industry. I hope to understand the role that developers, and developer communities, play in influencing technology.
The tools and skills and core technologies, which drive the industry, are created by companies and groups as well as individuals. The audience here is the developers and the communicated message is the tools and techniques. Business practice also plays a role.
I will be able to use primary sources to study this topic; these being the websites, legacy systems, and archived versions. Sources will also include trade magazines and informational books about web technology. I will also use journals about web technology, this being the scarcest of my resources. Journals will help me understand the market and economics of the web industry.
Analyzing the present, will offer me lots of primary sources, and informational sources in the form of web sites, web communities and forums. However, there will be little academic discussion of current web technology trends.
Future speculation exists in the web in the bleeding edge sites. Also, blogs often take a crystal ball approach and should provide a good amount of information.

Wk2 Reading (VOIP)

2005-10-12T17:29:00.000-07:00

"How the internet killed the phone business." The Economist. Sept. 15th, 2005.

It seems increasingly apparent that the digital business landscape seems to be laid with land mines in the form of obsolencence. Without vision you are a techno-has been. Without foresight and the willingness to know when you must change you will lose market share, market value and out yourself out of business.
The voice-over IP industry, which just barely exsists will most likely cause the traditional telephone industry re-evaluate. But, there is no room for stuborn business practice in the digital media world.
Again with VOIP, it's amaizing that such a small company like Sype can get such a huge bid, but this is an aknowledgement that there is a lot of foresight going on. First of all, Skype's gamble to start it's service, and Ebay's gamble to purchase it. Yeah, there is a lot of buying (and existing) 'on-margin' going on here. But in this industry that seems to be a necessary risk.
I always love to see the big companies outdone by a small more limber, fast acting company. That's true capitalism. But, I suppose so it buying them up and adding them to the conglomerate.

Wk2 Reading (Tele to Net)

2005-10-12T17:24:00.000-07:00

Winston, B. "Introduction." and "Chapter 1: The Telegraph." Media Technology and Society.

This book's introduction deals with the theoretical models concerning innovation and adoption of new technology. Winston means to provide this method of breaking down the aspects of change to discuss each new plateau of communication breakthrough. He lists social and scientific factors for his model.

Chapter one brings us the first concrete example of his fore mentioned scheme. The telegraph was developed by a step-wise process, which was nothing near a simple invention, dissemination path. Winston chooses to begin with this technology because it is essentially the first employment of electrical technology for communication purposes.
The telegraph is socially revolutionary because it redefines not only the space within which ideas can flow as well as the time with which ideas take to move and be shared, but also the effect both of these constraints previously had on socio-political systems.
Winston also shows us that technology acceptance is often interlinked to other technological advances. In the case of the telegraph, the steam engine was a driving force in its adoption. Because of the need for fast communication to moderate locomotive operation, the telegraph was suddenly a necessity.
The varying devices blanketed by the term telegraph underwent a shaping process linked to business application, adoption time in relation to innovations, and various usage changes. For example, Morse's code system allowed for his telegraph model to work under parameters unique its operation. Its efficiency was not necessarily tied to its mechanical/electrical design.
In the frame of the larger picture, 'technology ownership' was also discussed. With such groundbreaking technology, the government often opts not to merely allow market control.

Wk2 Reading (Social Aspects)

2005-10-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

Frederick Williams, Sharon Strover and August Grant. "Social Aspects of New Media Technologies." University of Texas at Austin.

Uses and Gratification Theory: this theory posits that 'new media' allows for individual choices and thus departs from the traditional "medium is the message" mentality to communication studies. This assumes and active consumer, but I think we must be careful not to over emphasize this change. Blend the two theories please. Gratification allows for choices within a media, and traditional study tells about how the medium affects the communicative process and effects.
It is also a 'old school' model that says that a medium will inherit the content of the past. But, as you'll notice each time a new media comes about, it starts out with few options. For magazines to survive they had to become target oriented, so did radio, and so has TV in response to the internet. But, the nature of the internet was to provide independent content, so it was already at the end of its life cycle (as a medium) early in its 'life.'
So analyzing the net under traditional models yields us with the face of new models. Uses and gratification is the eventual model of any 'medium is the message' new media lifespan study.
I hope I'm making this clear. To fully understand how media really relates to people's lives, researchers must pinpoint the most poignant theory.
Another point, if medium loyalty is dwindling... brand loyalty has to take over. I mean to say, radio/TV station or magazine name loyalty.
With traditional media trying so hard to maintain it's audience, and the social aspects of media keeping people comfortable with their interactions with it, why would anyone move to a new media. Why make the choice? It seems like media has progressed fairly rapidly over the course of the last century. But, I can see now that the media leaps, that has brought widespread market saturation of new technology, across the board adoption or critical mass, have been huge jumps in technology. There was surely a radio 2.0 or an improved TV set that was available and never spread because it could not prove an advertising base and couldn't break into an audience. The only new medias we see are those that provide a whole new dimension of experience. Without such drastic change, there is no motivation for consumers, and thus no guarantee for the backing producers of hardware, content or advertising.
The fact the FM radio and cable TV ever made it big is rather remarkable. It's easy to see why both were slow processes.
This process has several names, but the consumer end of the equation is known as adoption. Luckily for new media, this has been studied as a phenomena for quite a while with varying technologies. But... will these models prove accurate in new the digital world. As previously stated, internet technology already possesses the characteristics of media which is ending its life cycle and settling in for its long term self-sustaining phase.
The adoption of "new" technology enhancements perhaps may benefit from analyzing them within their intermediate role. Adoption is based less upon the device and more upon the social effects and factors. It seems also that in order to market new media to people (post large change) it is key to recognize them as now target markets not for general adoption. Also, gratification comes into play rather than more traditional models. New models seems to more accurately describe intermittent technology adoption rather than sweeping changes.
Media system dependency theory: seeks to explain the many factors that affect the many levels of media adoption. The Social Information Process Model: seeks to explain the intertwining world of perceptions of new media. As, this affects the media usage as much, or more so, than the actual factors of a new medium.

The first post

2005-10-05T20:36:00.000-07:00

What is this blog?
A place to put my responces and academic work for my Master's Class at UW.
Who is this person?
Click the profile, one of the links, or read on (currently a student.)
Can I pay you lots of money to solve my digital problems?
Yes!